The part we've all been waiting for is now booked! "Treme" star and former "CSI: Miami" star Khandi Alexander has signed on with ABC's "Scandal" to play the mother of Kerry Washington's Olivia Pope character. According to THR, Khandi will play Maya Lewis, Olivia's mother, in several flashbacks. Actor Tony Goldwyn, who playsPresident Grant, told THR:

"You can only imagine what that would be like to find out that your mother did not die in the way that you thought she died, in terms of it being a willful act. It's surreal for Olivia.The audience can imagine what that must be like to find out that your mother was murdered along with hundreds of other people. So the fact that her father was behind it is incomprehensible. It's going to really complicate [Olivia and Rowan's relationship] because Rowan remains a very dangerous person. It's not like everyone can just expose him or take him out. It becomes a very volatile and dangerous situation. You can imagine how devastating it is for Olivia."